-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sean Edwards , one of Britain 's most promising racing drivers , has been killed in a crash at the Queensland Raceway in Australia .

Edwards , 26 , was the son of former Formula One driver Guy Edwards and played the role of his father in the recently-released movie Rush .

Edwards was leading the drivers ' championship in the 2013 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season and was taking part in a private training session for young drivers .

The accident occurred when the Porsche 966 car in which he was traveling in as a passenger smashed into a tire barrier .

Guy Edwards was one of three drivers who famously pulled Niki Lauda out of his car before it burst into flames following a crash at the Nurburgring during the 1976 German Grand Prix .

His son had followed him into racing and was highly rated .

Condolences

`` Our thoughts are with his family and we want to express our deepest condolences to his relatives , '' said Hartmut Kristen , Head of Motorsport at Porsche .

Inspector Dave Preston , from Queensland Police , said emergency services had struggled to get Edwards out of the damaged vehicles .

`` The fire and rescue had to do extensive work in relation to extracting and opening the vehicle up sufficiently to remove him , he was trapped for some time , '' he told reporters .

`` When I last went down there and he was being removed he -LSB- the driver -RSB- was awake and aware of what was going on around him . ''

Edwards began his career in Formula Ford 10 years ago before going on to compete in the Formula Renault UK and British GT .

He won the FIA GT3 Championship in 2006 before making the move to the Porsche Supercup competition in 2008 .

Shocking

David Coulthard , the former Formula One driver , took to Twitter to extend his condolences .

He wrote : `` Shocking news about Sean Edwards passing , top man and super talented racer , condolences to his nearest and dearest . ''

The Motor Sports Association -LRB- MSA -RRB- also offered its best wishes to the family , saying it was `` shocked and saddened '' by the news .

` Sean was a hugely promising young racer who came through the junior formulas in Britain , before making a career in international sports car racing , '' read the statement .

`` He is leading the 2013 Porsche Supercup championship and had won both the Nurburgring and Dubai 24 Hours this year .

`` The MSA extends its deepest sympathies to Sean 's family , friends and fans at this difficult time . ''

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Sean Edwards was one of Britain 's most promising racing drivers

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The 26-year-old was killed following a crash at Queensland Raceway

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Driver was the son of ex-Formula One racer Guy Edwards

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Tributes pour in from across the racing world